1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flywheel assembly for exercise devices, and more particularly to a flywheel assembly that provides damping to an exercise device and the damping can be smoothly and effectively adjusted due to magnets.
2. Description of Related Art
Nowadays more and more people lack exercise due to busy lifestyle. Indoor exercise devices, such as biking-simulation device, are therefore marketed for those busy people enjoying outdoor activities. Such exercise devices usually employ a flywheel assembly to provide a damping for increasing the load.
A conventional flywheel assembly comprises a flywheel rotatably mounted on the exercise device and a stator stably and co-axially received in the flywheel, wherein the stator can be co-axially reciprocally relative to the flywheel. The stator has multiple magnets peripherally mounted thereon for providing damping to the flywheel due to magnetic force. Consequently, the damping has a maximum value when the stator is fully received in the flywheel and the damping is gradually reduced when the stator is gradually moved away from the flywheel along an axis of the flywheel assembly.
The conventional flywheel assembly is hard to adjust/reduce the damping when the damping is in a maximum value because the operator needs to overcome the magnetic force before drawing the stator. In addition, the stator is moved along the axis of the flywheel such that the exercise device needs to provide an enlarged space for receiving the conventional flywheel. As a result, the volume of the exercise device with the conventional flywheel assembly is enlarged, accordingly.
Furthermore, with reference to Taiwan Pat. No. 356021 and No. M360708, the conventional flywheel assemblies usually provide two curved plates for mounting magnets that provide damping to the flywheel. The two curved plates correspond to each other and the two curved plates respectively concentrically correspond to the flywheel when providing a maximum damping. Each curved plate has a pivot end and a free end. When adjusting damping, each curved plate is wiggled relative to the pivot end such that the move route of the free end is a hypocycloid. Consequently, the damping can not equally act on the flywheel when the damping, acted on the flywheel, is less than the maximum.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the disadvantages of the conventional flywheel assemblies.